I saw Herschel and he saw me and we stood next to each other because that is what friends do in the presence of evil or love.

I love the idea of books being more than books, or being, rather, something other than books.

She maintained a careful balance by her window, never allowing the men to come too close, never allowing them to stray too far.

Only a few months into our marriage," writes the grandfather, "we started marking off areas in the apartment as 'Nothing Places,' in which one could be assured of complete privacy, we agreed that we never would look at the marked-off zones, that they would be nonexistent territories in the apartment in which one could temporarily cease to exist.

Songs are as sad as the listener.

I wanted to protect him, which I was sure I could do, even if I could not protect myself.

I shook my tambourine the whole time, because it helped me remember that even though I was going through different neighborhoods, I was still me.